Cholesterol is a fat like substance that is produced by the liver and absorbed through foods. The obstruction is then grown over by the blood vessel wall, which restricts the opening even further.All things equal, the higher the blood LDL cholesterol, the more likely the LDL will be deposited, the more likely cardiovascular disease will be.Our newer understanding of cholesterolCholesterol, however, is essential for bodily function, for transferring the energy from food to the cells in our body.The problem was, the humans taking this marvellous new drug were dropping dead in much greater numbers than expected, even if they had been left untreated.Combined with drugs and or herbs when needed, still appears the best line of defense against cardiovascular disease caused by cholesterol, at least that's still what the research continues to support. It was clear that increasing HDL too far, would also cause stroke and heart attack.You now have the stroke, which can take out your eyes or limb or a foot, or even take your life. The company had created a new drug to specifically increase HDL cholesterol, which it did remarkably well.The important research that brought our traditional understanding of cholesterol to it's knees, was one funded by a drug company. HDL has traditionally be viewed as the good cholesterol that we can never have too much of, while LDL has been seen as the bad cholesterol we want to reduce as much as possible.Cholesterol is actually made in several different forms - HDL and LDL mainly.Like everything else, it seems, too much of a good thing is also harmful. It is becoming obvious that too much of HDL can kill you, just as too much of LDL can kill you.The role of LDL in strokeOnce LDL is deposited on the vessel wall, it forms an obstruction.At this point a person may start to experience anything from weakness to breathlessness, depending on where the blockage is and how much of the blood vessel has been blocked off. The same can be said for cholesterol. LDL cholesterol deposits itself out of the blood stream and onto vessel walls.The solution for cholesterol induced cardiovascular diseaseDiet and exercise, though, have been found to be the main line of defense against LDL and HDL - High HDL is very rare.Nasty, nasty, nasty